How Facebook Will Affect Your Local SEO

Towards the middle of last year, Facebook made a number of improvements that digital marketers should be aware of. The new functionalities that Facebook is testing and implementing positions it to compete with search giant Google and become far more than a social media platform where people connect with friends.

Research conducted by the Local Search Association and published by Searchengineland.com has shown that people already use social networks to find local businesses. Facebook Local, which was launched in November in America, is a directory that lets you publish information related to local businesses and upcoming events. The businesses and events are grouped into categories and the algorithm also helps people to:

See events that their friends are attending, and/or

Businesses that they have reviewed.

As you can see, what makes Facebook Local particularly helpful is that users won’t have to rely on reviews and ratings from the wider population to choose where they want to have dinner or get their hair cut – the tool helps users find the best option according to their friends’ preferences as well. Over the past few years, people have gone from looking for unbiased reviews online to being all too aware of the rise of fake reviews, which means that they want recommendations from people they know and trust.

As a business owner, it’s important to make sure that your company’s Facebook page has a correct and accurate description. Include the following:

Your contact details,

Add the relevant business categories, and

Include a keyword-rich about us section on your page.

The more proactive you are about filling in your company’s Facebook page, the less amount of content will be crowd-sourced by individuals.